January 2010
Sightings :: Fog City News in SF
Fog City News owner Adam Smith with Fran Bigelow of Fran’s Chocolates in Seattle during a tasting/book signing in SF. Located on Market St in the Financial District, FCN carries well over 100 different chocolate bars. Here Adam is serving brownies he cooked from a recipe in Fran’s book “Pure Chocolate.” The recipe features chopped Gold Bar chocolate bars. Posted via...
Sightings: Sweetriot on Virgin America flight 345
The Sweetriot unBar 65% as seen on the snack list in the seatback entertainment system on my Virgin America flight from Fort Lauderdale to SF. Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa - TheChocolateLife.com
Panorama: downtown intersection in Santa Cruz se...
All of Bolivia is a curious,vibrant mix of cultures and eras stretching from the 19th to the 21st centuries. Some of that amalgam is, I hope, visible here. Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa - TheChocolateLife.com
Flying over the Beni
This photo was taken from the Cessna during the flight from Trinidad to Baures. The Itenez region of Beni department (almost 9,000,000 acres) consists almost entirely of savanna with raised “islands.” The savanna floods completely during the wet season and the islands are only a couple of meters above “high tide.” All of the chocolatales where the wild cacao grows (there...
Aerial View of Baures, Bolivia
My trip to the Hacienda Tranquilidad was not direct. New York to MiamiMiami to Santa Cruz de la Sierra (red eye)Santa Cruz to Trinidad (via overnight bus)Trinidad to Baures (via four-seater (including the pilot) Cessna) Baures to Hacienda Tranquilidad via 4WD The dirt road leaving from the town center out the bottom-left of the photo is the road to Tranquilidad. Posted via email from...
Sightings: Orville Redenbacher's Nightmare
A bag of giant popcorn purchased on the street in Santa Cruz for 5 Bolivianos (about 70 cents). Cooked kettle corn - style (slightly sweet). Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa - TheChocolateLife.com
How they make a caffe mocha at the "Starbucks of...
That’s steamed milk at the bottom with a big hunk of dark chocolate in it, a float of espresso, and then whipped cream. 18 Bolivianos is about $2.50 and the WiFi is free. Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa - TheChocolateLife.com
Sightings: Aeropuerto El Alto, La Paz, Bolivia
To tell the truth, I never understood the Belgian fascination with putting mayonnaise on french fries. So, the Bolivian taste for mayonnaise on potato chips totally escapes me - especially in the rarified atmosphere at 4,200 meters. Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa - TheChocolateLife.com
Wild Cacao Pods, Hacienda Tranquilidad, Bolivia
Six cacao pods harvested on the Hacienda Tranquilidad outside of Baures, Bolivia. There are four or five different varieties of wild cacao growing in Bolivia. The colors of ripe pods are yellow and green, with orange being slightly over-ripe. Unlike many other varieties of cacao, there are no reds to be seen anywhere! Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and...
Planting "Wild" Cacao Seedlings
Volker Lehmann, the owner of Hacienda Tranquilidad, has a formal educational background in tropical agronomy and years of experience in Bolivia and elsewhere. He selects seeds from pods from trees he knows to abundant producers, germinates them in his nursery (where he also grows teak, cashew, acai, and several other plants) for interplanting outside of the core chocolatales where the wild trees...
Early morning on the Arroyo Tranquilidad
This photo was taken early in the morning on the bridge over the Arroyo Tranquilidad which borders one edge of the Hacienda Tranquilidad. Apart from the natural beauty what you can’t get here is the ambient sound environment - bird calls, insect noises, frogs, the wind. What is most captivating is that the only sounds you hear are natural sounds - nothing man-made. Tranquilidad is a very...
Early morning on the Arroyo Tranquilidad
This photo was taken early in the morning on the bridge over the Arroyo Tranquilidad which borders one edge of the Hacienda Tranquilidad. Apart from the natural beauty what you can’t get here is the ambient sound environment - bird calls, insect noises, frogs, the wind. What is most captivating is that the only sounds you hear are natural sounds - nothing man-made. Tranquilidad is a very...
The Old Man of the Wild Cacao Forest ...
… the tree, not me! This majestic wild cacao tree is probably hundreds of years old and is still very productive. Unlike virtually all other cacao varieties, which grow from a single trunk, as you can see there are dozens of trunks and new shoots called chupons. In a “modern” cacao farm the chupons would be pruned. On the wild cacao trees they are not as the unproductive chupons...
Planting "Wild" Cacao Seedlings
Volker Lehmann, the owner of Hacienda Tranquilidad, has a formal educational background in tropical agronomy and years of experience in Bolivia and elsewhere. He selects seeds from pods from trees he knows to abundant producers, germinates them in his nursery (where he also grows teak, cashew, acai, and several other plants) for interplanting outside of the core chocolatales where the wild trees...
Planting "Wild" Cacao Seedlings
Volker Lehmann, the owner of Hacienda Tranquilidad, has a formal educational background in tropical agronomy and years of experience in Bolivia and elsewhere. He selects seeds from pods from trees he knows to abundant producers, germinates them in his nursery (where he also grows teak, cashew, acai, and several other plants) for interplanting outside of the core chocolatales where the wild trees...
Wild Cacao Pods, Hacienda Tranquilidad, Bolivia
Six cacao pods harvested on the Hacienda Tranquilidad outside of Baures, Bolivia. There are four or five different varieties of wild cacao growing in Bolivia. The colors of ripe pods are yellow and green, with orange being slightly over-ripe. Unlike many other varieties of cacao, there are no reds to be seen anywhere! Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and...
Wild Cacao Pods, Hacienda Tranquilidad, Bolivia
Six cacao pods harvested on the Hacienda Tranquilidad outside of Baures, Bolivia. There are four or five different varieties of wild cacao growing in Bolivia. The colors of ripe pods are yellow and green, with orange being slightly over-ripe. Unlike many other varieties of cacao, there are no reds to be seen anywhere! Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and...
The Old Man of the Wild Cacao Forest ...
… the tree, not me! This majestic wild cacao tree is probably hundreds of years old and is still very productive. Unlike virtually all other cacao varieties, which grow from a single trunk, as you can see there are dozens of trunks and new shoots called chupons. In a “modern” cacao farm the chupons would be pruned. On the wild cacao trees they are not as the unproductive chupons...
The Old Man of the Wild Cacao Forest ...
… the tree, not me! This majestic wild cacao tree is probably hundreds of years old and is still very productive. Unlike virtually all other cacao varieties, which grow from a single trunk, as you can see there are dozens of trunks and new shoots called chupons. In a “modern” cacao farm the chupons would be pruned. On the wild cacao trees they are not as the unproductive chupons...
Planting "Wild" Cacao Seedlings
Volker Lehmann, the owner of Hacienda Tranquilidad, has a formal educational background in tropical agronomy and years of experience in Bolivia and elsewhere. He selects seeds from pods from trees he knows to abundant producers, germinates them in his nursery (where he also grows teak, cashew, acai, and several other plants) for interplanting outside of the core chocolatales where the wild trees...
Planting "Wild" Cacao Seedlings
Volker Lehmann, the owner of Hacienda Tranquilidad, has a formal educational background in tropical agronomy and years of experience in Bolivia and elsewhere. He selects seeds from pods from trees he knows to abundant producers, germinates them in his nursery (where he also grows teak, cashew, acai, and several other plants) for interplanting outside of the core chocolatales where the wild trees...
A Wild Cacao Pod in the Hand
Though I was told that the seeds of the wild cacao were very small (they are - I will post a photo soon), it never really sunk in what that meant in terms of pod size. This pod is an average size for one of the varieties of wild cacao that grows. If you refer back to the photo of the six pods you’ll get an idea for how small even the biggest one is (and it is above average in size). You...
Wild Cacao Juice - The Nectar of the Gods
I went out with a family group of four harvesting pods. In several hours we collected six sacks. We then set to opening the pods and removing the seeds. We collected these in small bowls where we worked and when we filled the bowls we moved them to a sack tied to a tree. Under the sack, the lead harvester (the father, Angel) dug a small depression with his machete and lined it with some leaves....
Wild Cacao Pods, Hacienda Tranquilidad, Bolivia
Six cacao pods harvested on the Hacienda Tranquilidad outside of Baures, Bolivia. There are four or five different varieties of wild cacao growing in Bolivia. The colors of ripe pods are yellow and green, with orange being slightly over-ripe. Unlike many other varieties of cacao, there are no reds to be seen anywhere! Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and...
Wild Cacao Pods, Hacienda Tranquilidad, Bolivia
Six cacao pods harvested on the Hacienda Tranquilidad outside of Baures, Bolivia. There are four or five different varieties of wild cacao growing in Bolivia. The colors of ripe pods are yellow and green, with orange being slightly over-ripe. Unlike many other varieties of cacao, there are no reds to be seen anywhere! Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and...
A Wild Cacao Pod in the Hand
Though I was told that the seeds of the wild cacao were very small (they are - I will post a photo soon), it never really sunk in what that meant in terms of pod size. This pod is an average size for one of the varieties of wild cacao that grows. If you refer back to the photo of the six pods you’ll get an idea for how small even the biggest one is (and it is above average in size). You...
A Wild Cacao Pod in the Hand
Though I was told that the seeds of the wild cacao were very small (they are - I will post a photo soon), it never really sunk in what that meant in terms of pod size. This pod is an average size for one of the varieties of wild cacao that grows. If you refer back to the photo of the six pods you’ll get an idea for how small even the biggest one is (and it is above average in size). You...
Wild Cacao Pods, Hacienda Tranquilidad, Bolivia
Six cacao pods harvested on the Hacienda Tranquilidad outside of Baures, Bolivia. There are four or five different varieties of wild cacao growing in Bolivia. The colors of ripe pods are yellow and green, with orange being slightly over-ripe. Unlike many other varieties of cacao, there are no reds to be seen anywhere! Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and...
Wild Cacao Pods, Hacienda Tranquilidad, Bolivia
Six cacao pods harvested on the Hacienda Tranquilidad outside of Baures, Bolivia. There are four or five different varieties of wild cacao growing in Bolivia. The colors of ripe pods are yellow and green, with orange being slightly over-ripe. Unlike many other varieties of cacao, there are no reds to be seen anywhere! Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and...
Huari - The best beer made in Bolivia
One of the things I always do in my travels to Central and South America is to search out the best local beer. In Bolivia it is Huari (pronounced who-are-ee). Light, refreshing, perfect for the climate. Volker and I spent a pleasant time consuming three of these large bottles between the two of this on the first-floor veranda of The Victory’s, a restaurant/bar/coffee shop not far from the...
The weather in Bolivia
Rain clouds dominate the sky as I leave the airport. In a couple of hours it’s into downtown Santa Cruz then at 9:00 it’s the overnight bus to Trinidad then a flight to Baures where I will take a jeep to the Hacienda Tranquilidad. TOTALLY off the grid for a week. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa at www.TheChocolateLife.com Posted via email from...
On to Bolivia
Taken from my seat on AA flight 601 from NY LGA to Miami International, sunset at 38,000 ft along the eastern coast of Florida. As I write this it’s about 15 minutes before boarding begins for Aerosur 558 to Santa Cruz Viru Viru International. In about 8 hours I will be in Bolivia - for the first time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa at...
Sightings: Nibs @ Trader Joe's
Is there any possibility of a coincidence that the packaging on these nibs (the metal can) is EXACTLY the same as the one Sweet Riot uses? I think not. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa at www.TheChocolateLife.com Posted via email from LaVidaCocoa | Comment » Discover Chocolate and Live La Vida Cocoa - TheChocolateLife.com